Investigators suspect the Bawana factory used to supply a deadly cracker, ‘Pacquiao Ultramaa’, to the Philippines illegally due to high demand there.
New Delhi: Last week’s fire disaster in an illegal cracker unit in Delhi, in which 17 people were killed, has a Philippines connection, a probe ordered by the Delhi government has found.
The inquiry committee has stumbled upon a crucial lead that suggests that the factory used to manufacture a deadly firecracker called, ‘Pacquiao Ultramaa’, named after Filipino professional boxer Manny Pacquiao.
The name ‘Pacquiao Ultramaa’ also bears resemblance to ‘Pacquiao Ultraman’, a Filipino firecracker brand that is banned in the country due to the high risks it poses to children as well as adults.
Investigators suspect that the Bawana factory owner was not manufacturing this cracker for use in India, but to supply it to other countries, including the Philippines.
The investigators are also looking into why the Delhi manufacturer had tweaked the spelling of ‘Pacquiao Ultraman’.
The inquiry committee has collected reports from various sources that suggest that Pacquiao Ultraman is being sold illegally in the Philippines, especially in the capital Manila, due to its high demand.
“Some reports suggest that this firecracker (found in Delhi factory) is more dangerous than its competitor ‘Piccolo’ (another Filipino brand),” said a source familiar with the matter.
The probe team is believed to have found an overwhelming smell of paint at the incident site besides cracker powder.
“There was some wiring inside the cracker and it was in the form of ammunition. It seems that cracker was in the form of rounds to be put in toy pistols to be fired,” said the source.
“The inquiry will not only look into what has caused this incident but also look at the nature of the crime committed,” the source added.